1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to compositions based upon 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-trifluoromethyl propene/vinylidene fluoride copolymers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Copolymers based upon 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-trifluoromethyl propene and vinylidene fluoride are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,723 issued 1972 to Chandrasekaran et al. Such copolymers have high melting points, good thermal stability and are resistant to attack by corrosive agents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,723 describes these copolymers as suitable for making a wide variety of useful products, including coatings, and co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 424,031 filed Dec. 12, 1973 of Miller et al. describes metals coated with compositions comprising these copolymers and stabilizing agents. Coatings based upon these copolymers exhibit good non-stick and non-wetting properties as well as hardness and abrasion resistance and, in many aspects, these copolymers are superior in physical properties to other fluoropolymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene. However, it has been found that with certain fluids, in particular silicone fluids coatings of these copolymers have lower non-wetting properties than desired in certain applications. It would be desirable to provide compositions based upon these copolymers which have a decreased surface energy and hence have increased non-wetting characteristics.
It has also been found that with certain substrates, coatings based upon compositions of these copolymers on substrates, such as wires and cables and fiber glass textiles, are somewhat inflexible and brittle. It would accordingly be desirable to improve the flexibility properties of coatings formed from these copolymers.